Just wanted to wish everybody a safe and happy holiday. For those of us struggling through PA school, congrats on making it through another semester/rotation! Relax and enjoy the break. As one of my profs once said, when you're on a break BE on a break! We all deserve it, no doubt!
See ya next year!
M-R
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
No Way? Another Update So Soon!
... Indeed.
Well, today I got up around 6:30am. Watched the news/weather for awhile to determine whether I should make the almost hour trip to the clinic I'm at or if I should not risk my life. I decided I would give it a shot and got ready. I got out in my car and gunned the gas pedal and tried to stop as fast as I could in our complex parking lot to see if I would slide. (Don't worry, I watched for pedestrians). I didn't slide so I made the trip, and made it safely! I have to really think if the trip is worth it because the clinic I am at is out in the boonies. There isn't a whole lot blocking the main road I drive down from the gusts of wind or blowing snow. Thus, these roads get pretty bad to drive on, in a hurry. Luckily I am with a preceptor that values my life more than my company haha.
I know I talked about this clinic a little bit, but I am really enjoying my self there. I really like the people that work there. They are all sarcastic just like me and don't mind me being so. I really think that not just as a rotation but especially as a job site that the people you work with make the difference. You may have a not so good boss or have a difficult patient population. Yet if you have co-workers that you are able to be yourself around and enjoy being around it can make your day, at the very least tolerable. At this clinic, even when we are having a bad/busy day we are able to get through it. Most times we are even able to finish with a smile on our faces. Sometimes you just can't ask for more than that.
On a different note, I really feel like I am able to put things together more when a patient comes in with a problem that hasn't been figured out yet. I have even made some suggestions to my preceptor that she wasn't quite thinking of at the time. Part of this is probably because I am coming fresh out of the books. So naturally I have some more of the specific and more up-to-date knowledge on a wide range of areas that a family practice practioner may not have readily available. I think the main thing is I am really learning to take the book knowledge and combine that with clinical knowledge that my preceptor has and mold it into my own style. I am still unsure of what this means. Nevertheless, it is exciting to see how far I have come in these short few months. Though, there is still much more to learn, I am still up holding my passion to dive right in.
See ya,
M-R
Well, today I got up around 6:30am. Watched the news/weather for awhile to determine whether I should make the almost hour trip to the clinic I'm at or if I should not risk my life. I decided I would give it a shot and got ready. I got out in my car and gunned the gas pedal and tried to stop as fast as I could in our complex parking lot to see if I would slide. (Don't worry, I watched for pedestrians). I didn't slide so I made the trip, and made it safely! I have to really think if the trip is worth it because the clinic I am at is out in the boonies. There isn't a whole lot blocking the main road I drive down from the gusts of wind or blowing snow. Thus, these roads get pretty bad to drive on, in a hurry. Luckily I am with a preceptor that values my life more than my company haha.
I know I talked about this clinic a little bit, but I am really enjoying my self there. I really like the people that work there. They are all sarcastic just like me and don't mind me being so. I really think that not just as a rotation but especially as a job site that the people you work with make the difference. You may have a not so good boss or have a difficult patient population. Yet if you have co-workers that you are able to be yourself around and enjoy being around it can make your day, at the very least tolerable. At this clinic, even when we are having a bad/busy day we are able to get through it. Most times we are even able to finish with a smile on our faces. Sometimes you just can't ask for more than that.
On a different note, I really feel like I am able to put things together more when a patient comes in with a problem that hasn't been figured out yet. I have even made some suggestions to my preceptor that she wasn't quite thinking of at the time. Part of this is probably because I am coming fresh out of the books. So naturally I have some more of the specific and more up-to-date knowledge on a wide range of areas that a family practice practioner may not have readily available. I think the main thing is I am really learning to take the book knowledge and combine that with clinical knowledge that my preceptor has and mold it into my own style. I am still unsure of what this means. Nevertheless, it is exciting to see how far I have come in these short few months. Though, there is still much more to learn, I am still up holding my passion to dive right in.
See ya,
M-R
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Update!
Hello All,
I am currently in my rural medicine rotation. I just finished up the first week of that. It is going really well and I feel like I am relearning the basics. My first few rotations were: Peds, Surgery, and Psych, so naturally I didn't directly deal with a lot of the typical disease states that one commonly sees in a primary care office such as: Diabetes, Hypertension, Low Back Pain, etc. It is really nice because as it is I really think I want to work in the primary care sector initially and then possibly specialize. It was a little strange doing specialty medicine for the first few months of my clinical year. (I guess peds could be looked at as sort of a primary care practice.) It was strange because instead of building on the basics I sort of skipped that and went right into specific areas of medicine, two areas of which we did not get a huge exposure to during the first year.
Oh well, the second year has been a blast so far. Some 1st year students asked me if the second year is easier than the first year. I think it is/can be to a certain degree. However, I think it is difficult as well, just a different kind of difficult. Yes, you don't have to sit in a classroom all day everyday for 40 hours a week, on top of having to study for the constant parade of tests and quizzess. However, you do have to go to "work" everyday and really stretch your brain and learn as much as you can. You also have to stress of not completely screwing up something very basic or missing something really important and making a fool out of yourself. (More on that in a bit.) Plus, if other programs are like mine, you have end-of-rotation exams after every 'core' clinical. Since you aren't in class anymore you are sort of on your own to figure out what you need to be studying and how best to use your time to study for an exam of which you aren't too sure what is actually on it. Sure you get a 'reading-list' and a 'study guide' but that doesnt necessarily mean that those things are exactly what the exam is going to cover. In fact in most cases, it isn't.
All of that may make it seem like I am not enjoying the second year. However, as I already stated, I am. I much prefer this to the first year, hands down! I enjoy not only just talking about medicine, but beginning to practice it as well. Plus, reading takes on a different meaning for the most part in the second year. You are not reading so much for an exam anymore, but rather reading up on things you are seeing in the practice you are at. I think this makes the reading more meaningful. For example, in the clinic I am in right now we see a lot of low back pain. When I read about this in my books I am able to retain the information better because I can apply it to the patient(s) I have seen. I also get excited about the fact that the next time I see a patient with low back pain I will be much more informed and be more efficient when I am in the room with the patient.
During the 1st year everyone is generally on the same page, and experiencing many of the same things. However, this is not so much true in the second year. Everyone really has their own unique experience, even if they go to the same site as another. There have been rotation sites that I have gone to that I loved. However, someone else went there and really had a hard time adjusting to it. -- I really believe that the experience you have at a rotation is largely up to you. Not only do you get out what you put in, but your attitude says a lot about what your experience is going to be like.
If you are in the first year now, keep your head up. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and no it doesn't have to be a train. Study hard and keep a positive attitude whenever possible.
'Til next time!
M-R
I am currently in my rural medicine rotation. I just finished up the first week of that. It is going really well and I feel like I am relearning the basics. My first few rotations were: Peds, Surgery, and Psych, so naturally I didn't directly deal with a lot of the typical disease states that one commonly sees in a primary care office such as: Diabetes, Hypertension, Low Back Pain, etc. It is really nice because as it is I really think I want to work in the primary care sector initially and then possibly specialize. It was a little strange doing specialty medicine for the first few months of my clinical year. (I guess peds could be looked at as sort of a primary care practice.) It was strange because instead of building on the basics I sort of skipped that and went right into specific areas of medicine, two areas of which we did not get a huge exposure to during the first year.
Oh well, the second year has been a blast so far. Some 1st year students asked me if the second year is easier than the first year. I think it is/can be to a certain degree. However, I think it is difficult as well, just a different kind of difficult. Yes, you don't have to sit in a classroom all day everyday for 40 hours a week, on top of having to study for the constant parade of tests and quizzess. However, you do have to go to "work" everyday and really stretch your brain and learn as much as you can. You also have to stress of not completely screwing up something very basic or missing something really important and making a fool out of yourself. (More on that in a bit.) Plus, if other programs are like mine, you have end-of-rotation exams after every 'core' clinical. Since you aren't in class anymore you are sort of on your own to figure out what you need to be studying and how best to use your time to study for an exam of which you aren't too sure what is actually on it. Sure you get a 'reading-list' and a 'study guide' but that doesnt necessarily mean that those things are exactly what the exam is going to cover. In fact in most cases, it isn't.
All of that may make it seem like I am not enjoying the second year. However, as I already stated, I am. I much prefer this to the first year, hands down! I enjoy not only just talking about medicine, but beginning to practice it as well. Plus, reading takes on a different meaning for the most part in the second year. You are not reading so much for an exam anymore, but rather reading up on things you are seeing in the practice you are at. I think this makes the reading more meaningful. For example, in the clinic I am in right now we see a lot of low back pain. When I read about this in my books I am able to retain the information better because I can apply it to the patient(s) I have seen. I also get excited about the fact that the next time I see a patient with low back pain I will be much more informed and be more efficient when I am in the room with the patient.
During the 1st year everyone is generally on the same page, and experiencing many of the same things. However, this is not so much true in the second year. Everyone really has their own unique experience, even if they go to the same site as another. There have been rotation sites that I have gone to that I loved. However, someone else went there and really had a hard time adjusting to it. -- I really believe that the experience you have at a rotation is largely up to you. Not only do you get out what you put in, but your attitude says a lot about what your experience is going to be like.
If you are in the first year now, keep your head up. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and no it doesn't have to be a train. Study hard and keep a positive attitude whenever possible.
'Til next time!
M-R
Monday, October 5, 2009
1st Blog of Year 2
Hey guys,
Sorry for the long absence. I don't know if people are actually stopping by anymore. Frankly, I probably would have stopped too. I am often times really busy, and even when I do "have time" to get on here I either want to sleep, or I actually should be studying. Either way, I finally made it to the second year!!!! Woo Hoo!! -- For all those just not starting the 1st year some words of advice: 1) Remember that it is only temporary, 2) Study as much as you can but realize that realistically you can't learn it all in the short period of time you have - get the just and move on, 3) Stay away from negativity - it truly will only bring you down as well and God knows you won't need any help, 4) Try to remember your health - as hard as it will be to do that, 5) You won't like every professor and chances are you will find something about each one that you don't like - do what you can with what they give you and then be a big boy or girl and find out what you need to do to get the information you need to pass, 6) Probably most importantly - if you have a significant other/bestfriend/close family member(s) DONT FORGET ABOUT THEM - set aside one night a week where you spend time with that person and carve that time out early!!, 7) Remember, you aren't going to get an A on every test/assignment/check-off, get over that quickly and save yourself the stress, do the best you can and move on, 8) If you aren't getting the grades you think you deserve figure out why and change whatever it is that you need to change in order to get what you think you deserve - whatever that means for you.
Those are just a few things that come to mind at the moment. I don't mean to sound harsh but this is the reality of PA school. A lot of the time it is going to suck, and it is going to be really hard. But honestly ask yourself, "What did I expect?" Now I will agree that you most likely did not expect this. But if you sit down and analyze the situation for a second it may make sense. You are in an accelerated "medical school" program. Of course it is going to be difficult, and of course it is going to seem like there is no way you can learn it all, because you can't! To be perfectly honest, no one expects you to know it all right now; that would be impossible. However, you will learn. You will learn more than you think you are. Just when it seems as though your brain can't hold another single fact about the cardiac system, low and behold it gets in there somehow.
It's an intense ride, but it is a worthwhile one (see blog title above). As long as you can keep that perspective you will be able to get through it. God speed and happy reading!
M-R
P.S. - My internet access is limited at my current rotation so it may be another while before I can get back on here. However, I will do my best to update you guys on my rotations so far. See ya then!
Sorry for the long absence. I don't know if people are actually stopping by anymore. Frankly, I probably would have stopped too. I am often times really busy, and even when I do "have time" to get on here I either want to sleep, or I actually should be studying. Either way, I finally made it to the second year!!!! Woo Hoo!! -- For all those just not starting the 1st year some words of advice: 1) Remember that it is only temporary, 2) Study as much as you can but realize that realistically you can't learn it all in the short period of time you have - get the just and move on, 3) Stay away from negativity - it truly will only bring you down as well and God knows you won't need any help, 4) Try to remember your health - as hard as it will be to do that, 5) You won't like every professor and chances are you will find something about each one that you don't like - do what you can with what they give you and then be a big boy or girl and find out what you need to do to get the information you need to pass, 6) Probably most importantly - if you have a significant other/bestfriend/close family member(s) DONT FORGET ABOUT THEM - set aside one night a week where you spend time with that person and carve that time out early!!, 7) Remember, you aren't going to get an A on every test/assignment/check-off, get over that quickly and save yourself the stress, do the best you can and move on, 8) If you aren't getting the grades you think you deserve figure out why and change whatever it is that you need to change in order to get what you think you deserve - whatever that means for you.
Those are just a few things that come to mind at the moment. I don't mean to sound harsh but this is the reality of PA school. A lot of the time it is going to suck, and it is going to be really hard. But honestly ask yourself, "What did I expect?" Now I will agree that you most likely did not expect this. But if you sit down and analyze the situation for a second it may make sense. You are in an accelerated "medical school" program. Of course it is going to be difficult, and of course it is going to seem like there is no way you can learn it all, because you can't! To be perfectly honest, no one expects you to know it all right now; that would be impossible. However, you will learn. You will learn more than you think you are. Just when it seems as though your brain can't hold another single fact about the cardiac system, low and behold it gets in there somehow.
It's an intense ride, but it is a worthwhile one (see blog title above). As long as you can keep that perspective you will be able to get through it. God speed and happy reading!
M-R
P.S. - My internet access is limited at my current rotation so it may be another while before I can get back on here. However, I will do my best to update you guys on my rotations so far. See ya then!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Rotation Shake Down!!
Well we finally got our rotation schedule. I was really nervous when we found out in an email during class that we would be getting our schedules right after lecture. Needless to say I dont think I remember a single thing that was taught after that. I am not sure why I was so freaked. I had told myself a long time ago that I have no control over where I go. I even told our clinical coordinator that I didnt care where she sent me, asn long as the rotation site was good and she thought I would do well / learn a lot there. Still I was pretty nervous. Well without further ado:
Clinical Rotation Schedule
1) Aug 31st - Pediatrics
2) Sept 28th - Surgery
3) Oct 26th - Psychiatry
4) Nov 30th - Rural Medicine (elective)
5) Jan 4th - Critical Care (elective)
6) Feb 1st - Family Medicine (2 months)
7) April 5th - OB/GYN (3 weeks at a planned parenthood clinic/ 1 week OB in hospital)
8) May 3rd - Internal Medicine (2 months)
9) July 6th - Emergency Medicine
I am really excited. However my motivation has almost completely run away from me. I need to get my head back in the game. If you see my motivation will you tell it to go back home? Thanks!
M-R
Clinical Rotation Schedule
1) Aug 31st - Pediatrics
2) Sept 28th - Surgery
3) Oct 26th - Psychiatry
4) Nov 30th - Rural Medicine (elective)
5) Jan 4th - Critical Care (elective)
6) Feb 1st - Family Medicine (2 months)
7) April 5th - OB/GYN (3 weeks at a planned parenthood clinic/ 1 week OB in hospital)
8) May 3rd - Internal Medicine (2 months)
9) July 6th - Emergency Medicine
I am really excited. However my motivation has almost completely run away from me. I need to get my head back in the game. If you see my motivation will you tell it to go back home? Thanks!
M-R
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Word On Punctuality...
Hey guys,I wanted to devote this next post to Punctuality. This is something that should be a no-brainer, but yet there have been many that have not adhered to this basic, yet fundamental concept. Please be on time to class. If you are not able to be on time to class, then please, in the name of all that is holy, do NOT walk into the classroom after class has already started. This is very distracting, disrespectful, and unprofessional in general. Also, if one of your friends happen to be the one locked outside, do NOT let them in. This is just as disrespectful as the guy walking into class late. There is a simple solution to this, if you must be late just wait outside the classroom until the class takes a break. Then, no harm no fowl.
I guess the bottom line here is I dont really care if people are late that much. What bugs the holy bahjesus outta me is when someone walks into class 40 mins late ... with coffee in hand!!!! Come on, really?!
Don't do it folks, unless you like the feeling of 35 pairs of eyes burning a hole straight through your soul! :-) Oh and remember this old saying and you shall never be late: "If you are on-time ... you're late."
Now, I know you must be thinking to yourself, "Now M-R, have you never been late?" Honestly, yes I have. But again, the point in this is NOT to make things worse by walking into the classroom after the class has already begun as if you are some sort of V.I.P. or something.
Respect your instructers and your fellow classmates; no matter how much they get under your skin. When you get into PA school you are now a professional. Do everything you can to work on being professional.
M-R
P.S. - The picture is supposed to be a joke. I'm really not THAT insensitive...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Surgery ... Not What I Was Expecting
Well our Surgery module is kicking my butt. Not necessarily because the material is hard, but because we have shunned all of our other classes away in order to fit surgery in one week. Here is our schedule for this week:8AM - Meet in lecture room for Surgery topic lectures
12:30PM - Break for lunch (and you better woof it down fast)
1:00PM - Back to lecture room for more Surgery topic lectures
4:00PM - Either go home and start studying to try and catch up with the enormous amount of material given to you that day OR:
4-6PM - If it is your groups day you go to the suture and "how to gown up for surgery" lab room and practice, practice, practice.
So far it has been that schedule for the past 3 days. Needless to say (maybe?), this week has found me fighting every nerve and muscle in my body to stay awake during the 4 hour lecture marathons.
I thought that when we did surgery we would be talking a lot about procedures, how to do them, what to look out for, etc. Instead we have been more talking about when is it appropriate to do surgery, pre-op/post-op considerations, and prophylactic therapies. Much of what we have been talking about has been a lot of review from the GI module. We really havent talked much about cardiac surgeries or anything like that. I think it's because the PA teaching us right now is teaching us mainly from what he does at their hospital. That's fine I guess. I just wish we were getting a little more diverse exposure. But maybe thats what next year is for.
Well back to work!!
M-R
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Half of ACLS Certification In The Bag!
Well today I was tested on my ability to lead a team of 5 other people in a "megacode" in the SIM lab. I have to say that I was pretty nervous going into the testing portion. I'm not exactly sure why I was so nervous, because I knew I knew the algorithms for each of the different potential rhythms. I guess it puts a different spin on things when you are not practicing anymore and the instructors expect you to know what you are doing. Not only know what YOU are doing, but know what the other members of your team are doing and change things if need be.
It wasn't too bad though. Like I said, I knew what I had to do. I guess I was just psyching myself out right before. The rest of my team did really well too. -- For a second I thought we were going to have to push the mannequin off the table and put a couple of our team members on the monitor because they were so nervous. -- It really isn't too bad. Apparently it used to be WAY worse than it is now. Before, you didn't leave ACLS without pretty much breaking down and crying, unless you really knew your stuff! From what we were told by our profs is that it was the worst part of PA school! (That's CRAZY!) Now it is a lot more laid back and ... dare I say fun? Well lets put it this way: after 10 months of sitting on your butt talking about doing medicine it is really nice to actually be able to DO medicine.
So anyways, we still have the written exam portion to take this coming Monday. Hopefully I pass that and I will officially be an ACLS certified provider-student.
On another related note, my girlfriend bought some CPR masks with one-way valves on them for the two of us to keep in our cars. I gotta say I was a little nervous taking it. I don't know why, but I guess I have this feeling that now that I have the mask either I am going to feel obligated to help out at say an accident, or that a situation will actually present itself for me to use the mask. Like I said in an earlier post, I really hope I never have to before CPR on someone, ESPECIALLY someone out and about. Its one thing to start on someone in a hospital where there is plenty of help from people who REALLY REALLY know what they are doing. But when you are out in the middle of a parking lot things are a bit different.
Alright, enough on here, I gotta get back to studying surgery. We have our suture lab coming up Thurs. Let's see how good I am with my hands!
See ya 'til then,
M-R
It wasn't too bad though. Like I said, I knew what I had to do. I guess I was just psyching myself out right before. The rest of my team did really well too. -- For a second I thought we were going to have to push the mannequin off the table and put a couple of our team members on the monitor because they were so nervous. -- It really isn't too bad. Apparently it used to be WAY worse than it is now. Before, you didn't leave ACLS without pretty much breaking down and crying, unless you really knew your stuff! From what we were told by our profs is that it was the worst part of PA school! (That's CRAZY!) Now it is a lot more laid back and ... dare I say fun? Well lets put it this way: after 10 months of sitting on your butt talking about doing medicine it is really nice to actually be able to DO medicine.
So anyways, we still have the written exam portion to take this coming Monday. Hopefully I pass that and I will officially be an ACLS certified provider-student.
On another related note, my girlfriend bought some CPR masks with one-way valves on them for the two of us to keep in our cars. I gotta say I was a little nervous taking it. I don't know why, but I guess I have this feeling that now that I have the mask either I am going to feel obligated to help out at say an accident, or that a situation will actually present itself for me to use the mask. Like I said in an earlier post, I really hope I never have to before CPR on someone, ESPECIALLY someone out and about. Its one thing to start on someone in a hospital where there is plenty of help from people who REALLY REALLY know what they are doing. But when you are out in the middle of a parking lot things are a bit different.
Alright, enough on here, I gotta get back to studying surgery. We have our suture lab coming up Thurs. Let's see how good I am with my hands!
See ya 'til then,
M-R
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Busy Week .... Sorta?
Hey guys,
Well like I said in my last post, we have been working on ACLS quite a bit this week. It has been interesting this week because I am so used to juggling multiple classes with the assignments/tests that go along with each of them over the week. This week the only classes we have had have been lectures on emergency medicine, and ACLS classes (both hands-on and lecture based). The weird part about that is that even though we have not had that many "classes" I have still been really busy. That must be why our program has put a hold on all the other classes during the two weeks that we have emergency med and surgery. There just would not have been enough time to cover what we needed to had we not had all day to have just the module classes lectures.
Well, for me this week has still been really busy. I can imagine that the few of us that have been ACLS certified this week must be pretty easy for them. However, I have not taken ACLS so this stuff is all new to me.
A word on ACLS real quick. This is definitly not something that you can simply learn by reading a book. Being the team leader in a code situation is where it is at in terms of really learning what to do in a code. When you simply read the book and learn the algorithms it seems pretty easy. But when you are the one that is calling the shots in the code, and your team is depending on you to organize all aspects of the megacode it can be pretty intimidating. In my opinion the only way to get past the stage of being completely overwhelmed is to keep volunteering to be the team leader whenever there is an opportunity to when you are practicing.
ACLS has been actually fun, once I got over my nerves that is. I think the best part of it is that it is actually hands-on. We actually get to DO something instead of just read about it. - Come to think of it this week has been really hands on. We had the IV lab and then ACLS most of the week. - I have to say I hope that I never actually have to be in a code situation. I am sure almost no one would actually want to be in that situation. But I know that odds are that I will definitly be a part of one. (Hopefully on the provider side and not the patient side!) I just hope that when the times comes I can take a deep breath and do what I have been trained to do.
Well, we have our "test" for ACLS coming up this week on Tuesday. We will be required to act as the team leader in a code that lasts 6 mins. We have to demonstrate not only that we have the knowledge of what to do during a code, but are able to effectively and efficiently manage a team of 5 other people. It should be fun ... I hope. I just hope I don't get really nervous and forget everything I know. I did pretty well during our practice sessions, based on the feedback from the instructors and me teammates. So wish me luck! :-)
M-R
Well like I said in my last post, we have been working on ACLS quite a bit this week. It has been interesting this week because I am so used to juggling multiple classes with the assignments/tests that go along with each of them over the week. This week the only classes we have had have been lectures on emergency medicine, and ACLS classes (both hands-on and lecture based). The weird part about that is that even though we have not had that many "classes" I have still been really busy. That must be why our program has put a hold on all the other classes during the two weeks that we have emergency med and surgery. There just would not have been enough time to cover what we needed to had we not had all day to have just the module classes lectures.
Well, for me this week has still been really busy. I can imagine that the few of us that have been ACLS certified this week must be pretty easy for them. However, I have not taken ACLS so this stuff is all new to me.
A word on ACLS real quick. This is definitly not something that you can simply learn by reading a book. Being the team leader in a code situation is where it is at in terms of really learning what to do in a code. When you simply read the book and learn the algorithms it seems pretty easy. But when you are the one that is calling the shots in the code, and your team is depending on you to organize all aspects of the megacode it can be pretty intimidating. In my opinion the only way to get past the stage of being completely overwhelmed is to keep volunteering to be the team leader whenever there is an opportunity to when you are practicing.
ACLS has been actually fun, once I got over my nerves that is. I think the best part of it is that it is actually hands-on. We actually get to DO something instead of just read about it. - Come to think of it this week has been really hands on. We had the IV lab and then ACLS most of the week. - I have to say I hope that I never actually have to be in a code situation. I am sure almost no one would actually want to be in that situation. But I know that odds are that I will definitly be a part of one. (Hopefully on the provider side and not the patient side!) I just hope that when the times comes I can take a deep breath and do what I have been trained to do.
Well, we have our "test" for ACLS coming up this week on Tuesday. We will be required to act as the team leader in a code that lasts 6 mins. We have to demonstrate not only that we have the knowledge of what to do during a code, but are able to effectively and efficiently manage a team of 5 other people. It should be fun ... I hope. I just hope I don't get really nervous and forget everything I know. I did pretty well during our practice sessions, based on the feedback from the instructors and me teammates. So wish me luck! :-)
M-R
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
School First
Hey guys,
Yes I know a little over a month ago I had promised an update "soon". Why do you think I used such a vague word? :-) Actually the real reason for my long absence, as my title states, is I had to put school first. To be perfectly honest, I was struggling with my grades a little bit due to my lack of time management skills and my failure to work on this in the beginning of the year. I am pretty sure I got on my Soap Box about time management skills on here before. Unfortunately I can speak from personal experience that not having this skill down-pat can really cause problems. Not only will this cause problems in PA school (and it will) but in life in general.
Well anyway, I just really needed to take some time to take a long, hard look at my self, and make appropriate changes in my life and my approach to school so I didn't screw up this amazing opportunity! Somewhat unfortunately, that meant putting things aside that weren't really important in terms of getting me through the program. One of those things, as you can tell, was writing in my blog. The good news, if there is any in this, is that the changes I have made are working! I have really been on top of things and my grades are showing it. (Well, at least I am on top of things as much as I can be. I feel by design you really can never be "truly" on top of PA school... speaking from my experience and through talking to my fellow classmates.) Not only are my grades showing improvement but I feel I am better understanding the material. That in itself is probably the most important thing. Although don't let anyone fool you. Yes grades don't determine if you're going to be a GOOD PA, but grades will determine if you are GOING TO BE a PA. -- Anyway, I told you guys I was going to be as open and honest on this thing as I could be so those that are looking at going to PA school can really see what it is like from one person's POV. That is really my reason for sharing this with you.
So hopefully those that are still following this thing can find forgiveness, just this once? No? Alright, fair enough.
All that being said, we finished up our GI (gastrointestinal) module this past Monday with yet another legendary module exam. I did well on it! I am definitely happy with the scores I received, and am moving on. We are now in our Emergency Medicine module. We are in the process of learning ACLS. ACLS is pretty interesting so far. I am a little nervous to get tested in the "Megacode" though. For those not familiar with what this is we basically have what is called a SIMs lab in another building. The SIMs lab is a patient simulator lab that is setup exactly how an emergency room would be setup. There is a "dummy" on the bed that is controlled in the "control room". The dummy is able to have vitals, a cardiac rhythm, make noises, etc. We are going to be tested on our ACLS skills by being part of a team that basically responds to a code (or when the patient crashes) and appropriately administers treatment to try to "bring back" the patient. I know it sounds a little weird but it sounds like fun. However, I am nervous because there is quite a bit to learn. You have to learn algorithms for different heart rhythms, etc that you need to be able to implement immediately. On top of that you have to know the drug, the dose and when to give them while your adrenaline is pumped up. I just hope I know enough to do well.
Well I have to go and learn how to put in an IV now. I am almost there though!!!! I am almost done with the first year! (Thank God!) Only about a month and a half left until we get a little break and then start rotations!!! We should be finding out our rotation schedule for next year here in a few weeks. Ill let you guys know how that plays out.
Until then my friends, as my friend in the 2nd year class says, "PA school is all about putting out fires." -- I'm going to put out another fire. Seeya!
M-R
Yes I know a little over a month ago I had promised an update "soon". Why do you think I used such a vague word? :-) Actually the real reason for my long absence, as my title states, is I had to put school first. To be perfectly honest, I was struggling with my grades a little bit due to my lack of time management skills and my failure to work on this in the beginning of the year. I am pretty sure I got on my Soap Box about time management skills on here before. Unfortunately I can speak from personal experience that not having this skill down-pat can really cause problems. Not only will this cause problems in PA school (and it will) but in life in general.
Well anyway, I just really needed to take some time to take a long, hard look at my self, and make appropriate changes in my life and my approach to school so I didn't screw up this amazing opportunity! Somewhat unfortunately, that meant putting things aside that weren't really important in terms of getting me through the program. One of those things, as you can tell, was writing in my blog. The good news, if there is any in this, is that the changes I have made are working! I have really been on top of things and my grades are showing it. (Well, at least I am on top of things as much as I can be. I feel by design you really can never be "truly" on top of PA school... speaking from my experience and through talking to my fellow classmates.) Not only are my grades showing improvement but I feel I am better understanding the material. That in itself is probably the most important thing. Although don't let anyone fool you. Yes grades don't determine if you're going to be a GOOD PA, but grades will determine if you are GOING TO BE a PA. -- Anyway, I told you guys I was going to be as open and honest on this thing as I could be so those that are looking at going to PA school can really see what it is like from one person's POV. That is really my reason for sharing this with you.
So hopefully those that are still following this thing can find forgiveness, just this once? No? Alright, fair enough.
All that being said, we finished up our GI (gastrointestinal) module this past Monday with yet another legendary module exam. I did well on it! I am definitely happy with the scores I received, and am moving on. We are now in our Emergency Medicine module. We are in the process of learning ACLS. ACLS is pretty interesting so far. I am a little nervous to get tested in the "Megacode" though. For those not familiar with what this is we basically have what is called a SIMs lab in another building. The SIMs lab is a patient simulator lab that is setup exactly how an emergency room would be setup. There is a "dummy" on the bed that is controlled in the "control room". The dummy is able to have vitals, a cardiac rhythm, make noises, etc. We are going to be tested on our ACLS skills by being part of a team that basically responds to a code (or when the patient crashes) and appropriately administers treatment to try to "bring back" the patient. I know it sounds a little weird but it sounds like fun. However, I am nervous because there is quite a bit to learn. You have to learn algorithms for different heart rhythms, etc that you need to be able to implement immediately. On top of that you have to know the drug, the dose and when to give them while your adrenaline is pumped up. I just hope I know enough to do well.
Well I have to go and learn how to put in an IV now. I am almost there though!!!! I am almost done with the first year! (Thank God!) Only about a month and a half left until we get a little break and then start rotations!!! We should be finding out our rotation schedule for next year here in a few weeks. Ill let you guys know how that plays out.
Until then my friends, as my friend in the 2nd year class says, "PA school is all about putting out fires." -- I'm going to put out another fire. Seeya!
M-R
Monday, May 4, 2009
Update Coming Soon!!
Good Goly! I have not updated this thing in almost two months. Well just so you guys know I am still here. The semester got pretty busy there for awhile, and to be honest when I did get a second to not study the last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of a computer screen to update my blog. Sorry about that. I will get an official update on here soon. I just wanted to let everyone know I am still alive and well?? ... Yea something like that.
M-R
M-R
Monday, March 9, 2009
Once Again...
the new module starts and I am already feeling behind. Heck, I even read a bit over my BREAK to try and see if I would feel any different. Well I guess I didn't feel as behind as I normally do, but I still felt behind, like usual. I have to say that it is a very common feeling among my classmates and I after the first day. It's sorta a joke now. We will go up to eachother and say something like, "How's it going?", to which the answerer would reply something to the effect of, "Psh, I have NO clue what they heck just happened in there!"
I have so many things to get done this week it is going to be interesting to see how things play out. I have to send out a message again real quick to those wanting to go to PA school ... what I am about to describe is NOT uncommon in PA school. In fact, I would say it is more the rule than the exception.
This week I need to/have to:
1) Write my SOAP note from one of the patients I had seen during my mentoring.
2) Finish up the 53 question take home pharm quiz (that covered about four chapters out of a book our prof printed off for us).
3) Finish a ~about 173 page book for my Patient Health and Promotions class that I then have to attend a discussion meeting about the book during my lunch break, and then write a 1 page response to the discussion group (and that was the easiest option for one of our assignments we have to do).
4) Read up on Anatomy because we are going over the muscles in the entire body and the first lecture covered about 12 pages of notes already.
5) Read 2 case studies on Diabetes and answer the corresponding questions (usually anywhere from 10-15 questions per case) due this Friday.
6) Read a couple chapters in my pathophysiology book
7) Start studying up on the disease states for this module
8) Study the lecture notes and patho book from today and this thursday for a 20 question quiz on friday.
9) Meet with my Professional Issues group to start researching our topic and begin writing up our presentation due in the 1st week of April.
10) Meet with my other group the next day (for Health and Promotions) and start writing the script for the "bad outcome patient scenario" that we have to do and figure out how/when we are going to tape/edit it.
11) Participate in my programs last interview session all of Friday afternoon.
12) Oh yea and sleep, eat, go to class ~42 hrs this week, make sure the "other things NOT in PA school" don't fall apart, etc etc.
I'm not whinning (really), just giving you a taste of what this week will hold for me. I am sure I am forgetting something, if that is possible haha! See why we say it isn't the material that is hard it's the amount of material and other stuff you have to do in the short period of time you have to do it that makes PA school so difficult?? Not enough days in the week and hours in the day! Just gotta take one thing at a time and prioritize the BEST you can.
Well ... back to work!!
M-R
End of Break Blues
Well, as you can tell by the image above, our next module is endocrine. Fortunatly we had some endocrine already throughout the year, and especially during the ob/gyn module. However, I started reading the beginning of the first chapter in our patho book and HOLY CRAP this is gonna get complicated ... fast!I have to admit though, one of my biggest down falls in PA school is that I learn best if I understand/know WHY something works, rather than just memorizing THAT it works. Hopefully that makes sense. Innately that may not seem like a bad thing, and on the surface (and maybe about an inch deep), it may seem like a good thing. It is ... to a degree. However, sometimes I get so wrapped up in having to know exactly what is going on that I waste WAAAY too much time trying to find the answer to a simple step, which we most likely will not be tested on anyhow. I know that some may be thinking, well at least you know that REALLY well. ... Yes, true, I do. However, with the amount of material we have to get through in the short period of time alotted, you really can't afford to get hung up on minute details.
Now listen carefully all you pre-PAs, Sometimes knowing THAT it works is good enough. Trust me, you dont want to spend most of your precious study time on what is happening at the cellular level in a disease, ESPECIALLY if it isn't all that clinically significant. -- I'm trying to walk a fine line because I don't want to discourage people from learning all they can. I'm simply sending out a suggestion that if you are finding yourself beating your head on the patho book/Cecils and getting incredibly frustrated move on and ask about it later in class. Just trust me!
Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent/soap box rant. Helpful? Hopefully. I think the reason I said all that was because endocrine is a lot of minute things going on that have major effects, hence the reason I am a little timid going into this module. I just hope I can get myself focused on the bigpicture/clinically important aspects and not get hung up on memorizing what proteins are being activated exactly and in what order. Otherwise this is going to be a rough next few weeks!
On another note, I am a little sad. Break was good, and even though I was getting a little bored there for a bit because I am so used to being busy all that time, it's still a little sad that it's over already. Eh, when does a break seem long enough though, right? I guess I am dredding going back because we have a couple group projects, a patient research project, a SOAP note write-up, and a full H&P write up (along with the usual quizzes and module exams) that are going to be due throughout this next ~5 weeks. It's gonna be a lot of work, and to tell ya the truth I really don't want to do it. Oh well though. I gotta do what I gotta do to get to next year.
Anyway, 9AM the fun begins again!! Hope your week is exciting and fun-filled as mine will be!! :0)
M-R
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
We've Crossed the Half Way Point!
Well this post is way, way over due. I dont really know if many people are really following this blog or not, but I guess I will keep typing away. Maybe somebody will come across this sometime.
Anyway, my absence from this blog has been due to the fact that I have a lot of free time on my hands and have been spending it playing my guitar, video games, and spending time with my girlfriend ... .... Yea, yea I know you aren't buyin it, of course that is a lie. I have had my face in the books for the past month and a half now first learning about the kidneys, and then OB/GYN (female-land as my anatomy prof put it)!!
But there is some good news to be shared, we have finally made it to the half way point through the first year!!! That is definitly something to celebrate, and boy did we as a class after our OB/GYN module exam. It feels good to sit back and realize how far my class and I have come in just this short 6 month period. I gotta hand it to my program, it really does a good job. Despite all the bickering, doubt and reisistance on our part, I think I can say that I have finally come to the realization that this is just how things are in PA school. It's stressful, and at times seems impossible, but some how we are getting through it, learning a ton, and slowly but surely becoming clinicians.
Right now we are on Spring break which could not have come at a better time because I was starting to get a bit burned out, crispy even. I know what you are thinking, "Again M-R?" Yes .. again. I swear, it's a wonder that we made it through last semester. We went pretty much straight through until Christmas break (besides the two days we had off for T-Day) and had one of the more difficult modules (Cardio) right at the end before break. No wonder a portion of us were thinking we weren't going to be able to make it. That's a long time going at a constant 150mph with no stops along the way. -- I am enjoying Spring break, even though I did not actually go on a trip. It has been great catching up with friends/family and being able to actually see my GF for longer than a couple of hours before I would go to the library again. Heck, I even got a chance to pick up the ol' guitar and play a few songs. The other thing that we have been working on accomplishing is getting this house back in order. It got crazy there for a little while!! I mean I am no clean freak or anything, but there comes a point when enough is enough and that point came and went, but neither of us had the time to get on it. So that was definitly the first thing to get caught up on.
All in all things are going pretty well. I did really well on the renal exam (the second hardest exam of the year), which felt great and gave me a little boost in my confidence. I did well on the OB/GYN exam as well. I tell ya, I am really glad to be done with that module! The one nice thing about that module was I didn't have any moments where I was thinking, "Crap, I think I have that!!" during lecture :-)
I finished up my last week at the family practice clinic I was at for my mentoring. It was a great 6 weeks, and I am going to miss working with my PA and the rest of the staff, and patients. I hope that the rest of my mentors are as easy going and as great of a teacher as this one was. On my last day, I got to do two knee injections on my own!! That was pretty sweet I must say, and to add to it I didn't hurt the patient when I did it either! I was pretty nervous, but had to keep my poker face on and act like I had done it a thousand times before. -- I am starting to gain some confidence in my clinical skills and decisions, even though that isn't necessarily the point of mentoring. Yet, it still surprises me when I throw out a correct suggestion to my mentor of what a patient may have going on with them or what the plan should be. I swear I am going to catch the person who whispers those ideas in my ear one of these days!! :-)
M-R
Anyway, my absence from this blog has been due to the fact that I have a lot of free time on my hands and have been spending it playing my guitar, video games, and spending time with my girlfriend ... .... Yea, yea I know you aren't buyin it, of course that is a lie. I have had my face in the books for the past month and a half now first learning about the kidneys, and then OB/GYN (female-land as my anatomy prof put it)!!
But there is some good news to be shared, we have finally made it to the half way point through the first year!!! That is definitly something to celebrate, and boy did we as a class after our OB/GYN module exam. It feels good to sit back and realize how far my class and I have come in just this short 6 month period. I gotta hand it to my program, it really does a good job. Despite all the bickering, doubt and reisistance on our part, I think I can say that I have finally come to the realization that this is just how things are in PA school. It's stressful, and at times seems impossible, but some how we are getting through it, learning a ton, and slowly but surely becoming clinicians.
Right now we are on Spring break which could not have come at a better time because I was starting to get a bit burned out, crispy even. I know what you are thinking, "Again M-R?" Yes .. again. I swear, it's a wonder that we made it through last semester. We went pretty much straight through until Christmas break (besides the two days we had off for T-Day) and had one of the more difficult modules (Cardio) right at the end before break. No wonder a portion of us were thinking we weren't going to be able to make it. That's a long time going at a constant 150mph with no stops along the way. -- I am enjoying Spring break, even though I did not actually go on a trip. It has been great catching up with friends/family and being able to actually see my GF for longer than a couple of hours before I would go to the library again. Heck, I even got a chance to pick up the ol' guitar and play a few songs. The other thing that we have been working on accomplishing is getting this house back in order. It got crazy there for a little while!! I mean I am no clean freak or anything, but there comes a point when enough is enough and that point came and went, but neither of us had the time to get on it. So that was definitly the first thing to get caught up on.
All in all things are going pretty well. I did really well on the renal exam (the second hardest exam of the year), which felt great and gave me a little boost in my confidence. I did well on the OB/GYN exam as well. I tell ya, I am really glad to be done with that module! The one nice thing about that module was I didn't have any moments where I was thinking, "Crap, I think I have that!!" during lecture :-)
I finished up my last week at the family practice clinic I was at for my mentoring. It was a great 6 weeks, and I am going to miss working with my PA and the rest of the staff, and patients. I hope that the rest of my mentors are as easy going and as great of a teacher as this one was. On my last day, I got to do two knee injections on my own!! That was pretty sweet I must say, and to add to it I didn't hurt the patient when I did it either! I was pretty nervous, but had to keep my poker face on and act like I had done it a thousand times before. -- I am starting to gain some confidence in my clinical skills and decisions, even though that isn't necessarily the point of mentoring. Yet, it still surprises me when I throw out a correct suggestion to my mentor of what a patient may have going on with them or what the plan should be. I swear I am going to catch the person who whispers those ideas in my ear one of these days!! :-)
M-R
Saturday, January 24, 2009
1st Day of Mentoring
So, as the title says, I had my first day of mentoring this past Wednesday. It was a lot of fun! Let me back up a couple of days though. Before we go to on our mentoring we were supposed to call a couple days ahead of time and find out what time we should show up, how we should dress, anything that we should bring (stethoscope, otoscope, courage), and just in general anything we should know about before we get there. Well I tried getting ahold of my mentor, and his office was closed when I called. So I waited until the next day I could call and he wasn't at the office because he only works there part time. Great! lol Well he left his cell phone number for us to be able to contact him by, but for whatever reason I have this thing with calling a professional of sorts on their personal phone. Does anyone else feel that way? I don't know maybe I am just weird or something. Anyway, I ended up calling on his cell and leaving a message on his voicemail. Of course, as my luck would have it, he calls me back right when I am about to get into my car to go get dinner quickly because my girlfriend had to get going for work soon. Oh well, no big deal, just figures I guess :-)
We got to talking on the phone about the details of what was going to happen on Wednesday. Well after all of the official stuff I had mentioned to him that I was pretty nervous. He told me to not be nervous, that truthfully at this stage of the game he really doesn't expect a whole lot from me since I am only about half through the first year! He said that mentoring is something that is supposed to be fun and a way of getting your nose out of the books for a bit, getting to actually see some things in the real world and learning some things along the way. He said most of my learning will come next year when I am actually doing rotations and seeing patients everyday all day. (Yikes!) After our conversation I felt a little more relaxed because he sounded like a really nice guy and made me kind of realize that they weren't going to throw me into a room with a complicated patient problem and expect me to know exactly what to do and solve the problem, all on my own!
Well, even with the conversation we had on the phone, when I turned the corner Wednesday morning and could see the building of the practice I started to get pretty nervous, not as much as I expected, but certainly enough. I got into the office, introduced myself to the lady behind the desk (one of the nurses) and should told me to go on back and that my mentor was in with a patient and that I should just go on in. I got into the room and was greeted with a pretty warm welcome from both my mentor and the patient, which was quite nice and sort of set the pace for the rest of the day.
I didn't do a terrible amount of stuff this time, but I expect it was sort of a "here's the office, and this is what we do here" kind of 1st day. I got to do a heart and lung exam on just about every patient we saw and was able to ask the patient questions that I had and got an idea of how charting outside of the classroom, actually goes!
All in all I think it was a really good first day. My mentor is an awesome guy and a truly caring provider. Also, the rest of the staff really made me feel like part of the "fam" right away, which was really nice. I feel very fortunate to have this as my first mentoring site. Oh, and probably one of the coolest things was I got to order my lunch from Red Lobster because we had a rep come to the office! Ha ha! It was a pretty good day! :-)
However, we are only at the office for the first part of every Wednesday, and then it is back to lecture! I left the clinic on a high and then was brought right back down after a 5 hour renal lecture!! It was an interesting mix of feelings throughout the day. From nervous to drained and everything in between.
We are a little more than half way through our renal module. I am a bit behind on some things, so I am hoping to get all caught up this weekend. I honestly love the weekends because everything just stops for a couple of days and we get to make a mad dash to figure out what in the hell they were talking about! :-)
Oh, and BTW, the Derm module went really well. I either studied really well, the test was fairly easy or maybe a combination of the two. Whatever it was, it felt nice coming back from a break and rockin a module that was only 1 week long! Especially after not doing to well on the last module that we had before Christmas break (Cardio).
Keep fighting the good fight!
M-R
We got to talking on the phone about the details of what was going to happen on Wednesday. Well after all of the official stuff I had mentioned to him that I was pretty nervous. He told me to not be nervous, that truthfully at this stage of the game he really doesn't expect a whole lot from me since I am only about half through the first year! He said that mentoring is something that is supposed to be fun and a way of getting your nose out of the books for a bit, getting to actually see some things in the real world and learning some things along the way. He said most of my learning will come next year when I am actually doing rotations and seeing patients everyday all day. (Yikes!) After our conversation I felt a little more relaxed because he sounded like a really nice guy and made me kind of realize that they weren't going to throw me into a room with a complicated patient problem and expect me to know exactly what to do and solve the problem, all on my own!
Well, even with the conversation we had on the phone, when I turned the corner Wednesday morning and could see the building of the practice I started to get pretty nervous, not as much as I expected, but certainly enough. I got into the office, introduced myself to the lady behind the desk (one of the nurses) and should told me to go on back and that my mentor was in with a patient and that I should just go on in. I got into the room and was greeted with a pretty warm welcome from both my mentor and the patient, which was quite nice and sort of set the pace for the rest of the day.
I didn't do a terrible amount of stuff this time, but I expect it was sort of a "here's the office, and this is what we do here" kind of 1st day. I got to do a heart and lung exam on just about every patient we saw and was able to ask the patient questions that I had and got an idea of how charting outside of the classroom, actually goes!
All in all I think it was a really good first day. My mentor is an awesome guy and a truly caring provider. Also, the rest of the staff really made me feel like part of the "fam" right away, which was really nice. I feel very fortunate to have this as my first mentoring site. Oh, and probably one of the coolest things was I got to order my lunch from Red Lobster because we had a rep come to the office! Ha ha! It was a pretty good day! :-)
However, we are only at the office for the first part of every Wednesday, and then it is back to lecture! I left the clinic on a high and then was brought right back down after a 5 hour renal lecture!! It was an interesting mix of feelings throughout the day. From nervous to drained and everything in between.
We are a little more than half way through our renal module. I am a bit behind on some things, so I am hoping to get all caught up this weekend. I honestly love the weekends because everything just stops for a couple of days and we get to make a mad dash to figure out what in the hell they were talking about! :-)
Oh, and BTW, the Derm module went really well. I either studied really well, the test was fairly easy or maybe a combination of the two. Whatever it was, it felt nice coming back from a break and rockin a module that was only 1 week long! Especially after not doing to well on the last module that we had before Christmas break (Cardio).
Keep fighting the good fight!
M-R
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mentoring Setup Woes
Well today I sort of get an ear full. Not really bad, but enough to make me realize I messed up! Yikes!
Let me explain ... before school started in the Fall we got this packet of info that had a bunch on information in it and some instruction on what to do with some of it. Part of that information regarded immunizations. Well, to try and make a long story short, I misunderstood what it was that we were supposed to do with our immunization information and almost ended up not being able to mentor. What happened was I thought, for some reason, that the only reason they wanted us to give our imms records to our student health center was so that they could look it over and tell us what we were missing and what not. For some reason it didn't click in my mind that the only way they can verify that we actually have our imms done is if we give them the information that we have on them. So instead I found my information on the MCIR (which is basically a database of imms records from childhood on) and found out what I was missing and what I needed to get. So I went and got that stuff done. Turns out I was supposed to give that info to our health center on campus as well! OOPS! So now I have to get up earlier than needed for class so that I can figure out this mess, because we need to send out this info to our mentoring sites by Monday.
Moral of the story? GET YOUR IMMUNIZATIONS AND THE TITERS DONE AS SOON AS YOU CAN!! It is just a mess when you don't follow/understand the directions completely lol! Also, for the parents out there, make sure your kid gets his imms done on time and when they are young. It's a pain to deal with when you are older and you have received your Hep B shots from three different providers!!!
M-R
Let me explain ... before school started in the Fall we got this packet of info that had a bunch on information in it and some instruction on what to do with some of it. Part of that information regarded immunizations. Well, to try and make a long story short, I misunderstood what it was that we were supposed to do with our immunization information and almost ended up not being able to mentor. What happened was I thought, for some reason, that the only reason they wanted us to give our imms records to our student health center was so that they could look it over and tell us what we were missing and what not. For some reason it didn't click in my mind that the only way they can verify that we actually have our imms done is if we give them the information that we have on them. So instead I found my information on the MCIR (which is basically a database of imms records from childhood on) and found out what I was missing and what I needed to get. So I went and got that stuff done. Turns out I was supposed to give that info to our health center on campus as well! OOPS! So now I have to get up earlier than needed for class so that I can figure out this mess, because we need to send out this info to our mentoring sites by Monday.
Moral of the story? GET YOUR IMMUNIZATIONS AND THE TITERS DONE AS SOON AS YOU CAN!! It is just a mess when you don't follow/understand the directions completely lol! Also, for the parents out there, make sure your kid gets his imms done on time and when they are young. It's a pain to deal with when you are older and you have received your Hep B shots from three different providers!!!
M-R
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
And So It Begins
Greetings from my local coffee shop. I am typing this entry on my phone because I thought this place had free wifi and it turns out you have to pay for it. So since I am not going to do that let me apologize now for any misspelled words and aweful grammer.
With that being said hAaappyg NeW yeer! :-) OK, for real this time Happy New Year! Another year come and gone. Well classes started up again this past Monday. The morning before class started my gf had just gotten home from work (she is a peds nurse), and she asked me how I was feeling about classes started again. I was honestly having mixed feelings. Besides the fact that my stomach was upset because it had not required to work before 12pm over break, I was excited, anxious, sad, eeger, and scared outta my mind. I was sad because I knew that school starting up meant that the time I would get to spend with my gf, and friends, was going to be cut extremely short again. It was going to go back to seeing eachother for maybe an hour or so over dinner, if we are LUCKY!
I was excited and eeger because it meant that we would be working and getting closer to graduating. Also this semester we start mentoring. What that basically means is that for one half day a week we work/follow a PA or doc and actually get to start seeing patients and practicing exam skills we know and taking patient histories, and even practice writing orders and diagnosing patients! However, this is also the source of my feeling of anxiety and fear. Wait, you mean you are sending me out into the world?!? Hold it, you want me to see REAL patients and practice on them!?! Hang on, you want me to show my mentor what I am made of and be aggressive enough and put myself in situations that give me opportunities to do this!??! O....K... Ill do my best.
Lets be honest here folks, this is sorta terrifying lol. What if I look like a complete putz and leave my mentor wondering, "Is this kid really in PA school?" What if the patients I see think I am a fool and ask to see the actual PA/doc because I clearly do not know what I am doing? Am I ready for this? I guess I better get ready, because ready or not they are sending me out. If you get sick don't go to the clinic for awhile! :-)
To be honest, I do have those things running in my head, but I am honestly excited and, I believe, ready to get my hands dirty (so to speak). I have been told that it gets better and the more you DO the more comfortable you become. However, I've also been told that if you are not somewhat aggressive it is really to just sit back and sit in the corner watching and never doing. However, that isn't going to help anything. I WANT to get more confident. I WANT to get more comfortable, and I WANT to look back on my mentoring and know that I got out of it everything I could, and sisnt waste any opportunity or chance to learn and improve.
Well, we don't start that for a couple of weeks. Right now there is a more pressing issue and that is that we got a great welcome back gift from our program. We started dermatology, guess what the 'gift' was? Hey, welcome back, how was your break? here's your derm book and oh yea you have A WEEK to learn it, test is next Monday! Talk about not wasting any time, huh? Oh well, what better way to get back into study mode than being forced to learn an entire system in a week? Do you think some of PA school is like an initiation process, kinda like a gang where you get beat up for awhile before they let you in or a frat with hell week? ;-)
Anyway, its too bad that derm is only a week. Not just because I have no idea how I am going to learn this stuff in a week, but because the prof that is teaching this module is awesome! We don't get to have him teach us often because of his heavy involvement in the AAPA, and it sucks because he is a great guy and teacher. Oh well, I guess that's life right?
Until next time, hang in there, keep pushing forward and doing your best, that's all anyone can ask of you.
M-R
With that being said hAaappyg NeW yeer! :-) OK, for real this time Happy New Year! Another year come and gone. Well classes started up again this past Monday. The morning before class started my gf had just gotten home from work (she is a peds nurse), and she asked me how I was feeling about classes started again. I was honestly having mixed feelings. Besides the fact that my stomach was upset because it had not required to work before 12pm over break, I was excited, anxious, sad, eeger, and scared outta my mind. I was sad because I knew that school starting up meant that the time I would get to spend with my gf, and friends, was going to be cut extremely short again. It was going to go back to seeing eachother for maybe an hour or so over dinner, if we are LUCKY!
I was excited and eeger because it meant that we would be working and getting closer to graduating. Also this semester we start mentoring. What that basically means is that for one half day a week we work/follow a PA or doc and actually get to start seeing patients and practicing exam skills we know and taking patient histories, and even practice writing orders and diagnosing patients! However, this is also the source of my feeling of anxiety and fear. Wait, you mean you are sending me out into the world?!? Hold it, you want me to see REAL patients and practice on them!?! Hang on, you want me to show my mentor what I am made of and be aggressive enough and put myself in situations that give me opportunities to do this!??! O....K... Ill do my best.
Lets be honest here folks, this is sorta terrifying lol. What if I look like a complete putz and leave my mentor wondering, "Is this kid really in PA school?" What if the patients I see think I am a fool and ask to see the actual PA/doc because I clearly do not know what I am doing? Am I ready for this? I guess I better get ready, because ready or not they are sending me out. If you get sick don't go to the clinic for awhile! :-)
To be honest, I do have those things running in my head, but I am honestly excited and, I believe, ready to get my hands dirty (so to speak). I have been told that it gets better and the more you DO the more comfortable you become. However, I've also been told that if you are not somewhat aggressive it is really to just sit back and sit in the corner watching and never doing. However, that isn't going to help anything. I WANT to get more confident. I WANT to get more comfortable, and I WANT to look back on my mentoring and know that I got out of it everything I could, and sisnt waste any opportunity or chance to learn and improve.
Well, we don't start that for a couple of weeks. Right now there is a more pressing issue and that is that we got a great welcome back gift from our program. We started dermatology, guess what the 'gift' was? Hey, welcome back, how was your break? here's your derm book and oh yea you have A WEEK to learn it, test is next Monday! Talk about not wasting any time, huh? Oh well, what better way to get back into study mode than being forced to learn an entire system in a week? Do you think some of PA school is like an initiation process, kinda like a gang where you get beat up for awhile before they let you in or a frat with hell week? ;-)
Anyway, its too bad that derm is only a week. Not just because I have no idea how I am going to learn this stuff in a week, but because the prof that is teaching this module is awesome! We don't get to have him teach us often because of his heavy involvement in the AAPA, and it sucks because he is a great guy and teacher. Oh well, I guess that's life right?
Until next time, hang in there, keep pushing forward and doing your best, that's all anyone can ask of you.
M-R
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